Jodi’s Running Blog

I just returned from a trip to Seattle, and of course - a wonderful jaunt on the path around the city’s Green Lake. When I first stepped out of the car after driving up from Renton, a cold gust of wind seared through the thin shirt and coat I was wearing. So obviously I had no other option but to head around the corner to Super Jock N Jill, perhaps the most interesting running store I have ever visited. As I sifted through the CoolMax shirts, pants, gloves, hats, etc, I suddenly realized - I didn’t know how to dress warmly for running. In South Carolina I have never needed these sorts of garments - shorts and maybe a long-sleeved shirt has always been plenty. The understanding sales associate explained that I needed an insulating top to wear over whichever non-cotton shirt. Then, I needed pants - not regular sweat pants, but pants that break the wind and insulate from within. And gloves. And a hat. And more shirts.

So then it was time to enjoy the lake and ahhhhhhhh…to be able to see so many runners in one area enjoying the sun breaking through the clouds on a chilly Seattle morning was an amazing experience! And it gets better - the whole time I was there, the locals constantly had suggestions for other running locations. The city and its surroundings are full of designated trails for running, rollerblading, cycling…life was sweet!

The next interview trip will be to New Orleans next week, and I’m already searching the web and questioning other runners for recommendations.

Greetings to anyone who might be reading!

I have been a runner since the age of 14 when I joined my school’s varsity track team. I have been a motivated runner, though, since 2000. In 1997 I tore my ACL and medial meniscus during the long jump at a track meet, and several years after my orthopedic surgery and physical therapy, I realized my days as a sprinter and field events athlete had ended. However, distance running seemed like an option. When I decided to train for my first marathon in 2000, I found that having a goal does wonders for motivation.

Like many runners with whom I have conversed, I enter periods of running blues, where I lack motivation and will potentially experience months without exercising. Fortunately, I have possessed high motivation levels consistently over the past six months. This has led me to register for my third, and perhaps most difficult, marathon - the London Marathon, April 17, 2005.

In an effort to focus, I have transformed my personal website into a running information/diary site (http://www.jodidodds.com). I am also converting my blog, which previously contained posts regarding the November election, into a running blog. I realized that there were myriad political blogs, so I wanted to create something a little different (even though I know mine isn’t the first).

I will be traveling around the country over the next two months for medical residency interviews. I will meet with program directors and residents and will wander around the various campuses/hospitals to obtain a better feel for where I belong. One essential component, though, will be the running possibilities in each area. I do not know how many people partially judge cities based on how good the running is, but I know that my morning runs will be an essential component to daily functioning over the next four years, so a city’s running environment/culture becomes an important factor.